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Consider this: the best baked eggs never require an oven. During recipe development, discovering that covering the pan produces a humid atmosphere that gently cooks the eggs, yielding tender soft-cooked egg with firm whites and flowing center. Direct oven heat from baking acts stronger compared to steaming, often leading to dry everything out and overcook the yolk. Presenting two flavorful bases to get started, encouraging customization. One is a super-simple golden coconut sauce, while the merguez ragu puts a twist on eggs in purgatory, or, to the likes of you and me, eggs baked in spicy tomato sauce.

Golden Coconut Sauce Baked Eggs (featured)

Prep A quick 10 minutes
Cook 55 min
Serves Two servings

Extra virgin oil
One medium onion, skinned and diced
Salt
2 garlic cloves, minced garlic
Fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp ground turmeric
Toasted cumin
Curry leaves
Creamy coconut
Chickpeas
A few basil leaves, and additional for topping
Four eggs
Green chilies, julienned, as garnish

Use a heavy skillet at moderate-high temperature. Drizzle olive oil, add the chopped onion with some salt, fry until softened. Incorporate aromatics and spices, let them sizzle, stirring occasionally for a few minutes, pour in creamy liquid along with chickpeas and liquid. Bring to a boil, lower heat to gentle cook, allow to cook slowly for half an hour, until thick and golden. Adjust seasoning, mix in fresh basil.

With a spoon’s back making four indentations in the sauce, then crack an egg into each. Dust each egg lightly salted, place a lid on the pan, simmer over low heat for two to three minutes, until egg whites firm and yolks warmed. Take off the heat, finish with a few extra basil leaves and thinly sliced finger chillies, ready to enjoy.

Spicy Sausage Sauce with Tangy Peppers Steamed Eggs

Preparation 10 minutes
Cook 45 minutes
Yields Two

Oil
Spicy lamb sausages
1 tbsp harissa
Toasted cumin
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
400g good-quality tinned tomatoes
Seasoning
Fresh eggs
Pickled peppers, roughly chopped
Fresh parsley, minced
3 tbsp thick Greek yoghurt
Fresh lemon, cut into wedges, as garnish

Set a 25cm heavy cast-iron pot over medium flame. Pour in oil once hot, remove the skins from the sausages forming small bits adding to pan, like mini balls. Turn down the heat, cook until golden, so it renders out all that spicy, flavour-packed fat. Move sausage pieces while cooking, to brown evenly.

When golden, add the harissa, cumin seeds and sliced garlic to the pan, adjust to moderate flame fry with mixing, for three to four minutes, until aromatic, and the garlic has lost its raw edge. Add tomatoes, season with salt and bring to a simmer. Reduce to low heat cooking gently for twenty minutes. Ragu thickens, thicken and deepen in colour, with oils separating and surfacing.

Use the back of a spoon to create four little pockets within sauce, break eggs in. Sprinkle the top of each egg lightly salted, place lid on pan. Simmer briefly gently, when eggs set and yolks warmed.

Turn off stove, finish with chopped pickled peppers, herbs, yogurt dollop, plus oil drizzle, with lemon on side.